Note from great-great-niece Kendra Mindary: this is one of the few letters describing a bit more in detail the darker sides of the Great War and Cecil’s experiences. Typically, he wasn’t able to write about this sort of thing as the letters would get censored before mailing back to Canada.

829297
Pte C.E. Minary
France Aug 31 1917

Dear Edna
Well here I am again still alive and feeling fine as usual and hoping that this will find you all the same, I have not received any letter from you latly (sic) but expect one any day now, there has been quite a lot of mail these last few days although almost a month I got none at all hardly.
We are just out now after another trip in the trenches and some trip too, the worst that I have been in yet. I guess you will have read something of the scrap that were (sic) in, in the papers and it was some fight too, I had a few close ones, was knocked of my feet once, blown down a dug out entrance another, and then a piece of shrapnel hit my helmet and put a kink in my neck for quite a while, but should worry, he has not found my number yet.
We had a bath and clean change of cloths (sic) the other day and it certainly made a fellow feel good, although I was not to bad off this time for I got a parcel just a few hours before we left to go up the line this last from Margaret Smith and there was a new shirt and a pair of socks in it, so I had a clean change anyway, there was a nice tin of honey in it to so there was some extra eats also. I got a parcel of eats the other night from a Mrs Anderson in Winnipeg, but it is all gone now.
They all seemed to be well at home by Annies letter, the Boys have been doing well in Baseball she said that they had won two cups in two different Leagues and a hundred and twenty dollars in prizes and they were going to Souris on the ninth of August to play for a two hundred and forty dollar prize, so they ought to have a good days sport, I guess I’ll be away behind the times when I get back, what do you think Edna?
I had a letter from Bertha Minary since she went back from her holidays and she sent me a snap of herself working in the hayfield, it is a good one too although she looked too well dressed to be working very hard.
Well Edna, this is all the news this time so will close hoping to hear from you soon.
With love to everyone your loving Cousin
Cecil
B. Coy Batt.
Canadian BEF

• • •

829297 Somewhere in France
B. Coy. Monday March 11th/18

Dear Dad.
Many happy returns of the day Dad and the best of health for the coming year, I only hope I am home to wish you it in person next year what do you say Dad.
My hopes of yesterday were realized for I got some mail four letters there were, Annies of Feb 2nd and one from Aunt Mable. Annie and Lucy Prette and Berta. everyone seemed to be doing as well as usual.
Annie Prette sent me the address of two of Mrs West sisters in England with an invitation to go there on my next leave and I sure will. I just wish I had of known for my last I would have had a better time. Mrs West is the woman where Annie and Lucy is staying in Winnipeg.
Those snaps Annie sent certainly are great, tell Bruce that if I ever get back he had better look out for that school teacher of his for I would take a try and cutting him out, that snap of Vic is very good.
Do you know Dad, the Boys here won’t believe when I say Vic is my Brother, they say it is me or my second, but then they have not seen his Blue eyes have they, his hair though is exactly the same as mine is now.
Well Dad I guess you will all be busy getting ready for the spring work and I just wish I was there to help you, But it is so long now since I have done any of that kind of work that I guess I would not be up to much, but I guess I would soon learn again, what do you think?
I guess the Boys will be all talk now of the coming Baseball games and the chances of Chesley, We have a scrub game over here now and then when circumstances and the weather permits just enough you know to keep a fellow familiar with the Ball and glove.
Well Dad this is all now so will sign off with love for all at home.
From Cecil
• • •
Somewhere in France
March 10th 1917

Dear Edna.
Received your letter of Jan 10th a few days ago and was very pleased to get it, I also got two others with it one from home and the other from Annie and Lucy Prette.
I sent you all field cards because I could not get any writing paper at the time but luck was good today and I got enough paper for the three letters but I don’t know where all the mail could have went to for that is only four letters in about six weeks, there must be a couple dozen kicking about somewhere.
I’ll pardon you for not writing sooner for I know what it is like to have a whole bunch of letters to write, you will please excuse this scribbling as I am writing with a candle for a light and an old tin can as a writing desk with a coat over it to keep the paper clean so it is rather rough on the paper.
So Dad has got down east at last but that was an unearthly time of the day to come don’t you think so?
It is to (sic) bad that you miss your old chums but believe me I feel kind of blue sometimes over here when I get a letter from Annie telling me of the good times that they are having.
May I hope that you send a few more letters like this one, nine pages all in one letter it makes a fellow feel good to get two or three letters like that.
You hope that I am in safe quarters well they are not to bad but still Fritzie takes a notion now and then to drop a few remembrances over.
We have not found our Battalion yet but are in what they call the third Entrenching Battalion, but the same Address will get me 829297 52nd Battalion Canadians B.E.F. France.
We go out on working parties here every day sometimes in the daytime sometimes at night. Just as luck gets us, but we have a pretty good idea of how Fritzie carries on the war now. I had the enjoyment one day this week of dodging a few of his shells.
Well Edna I guess this is all for this time so will close hoping to here (sic) from you soon with love to all
From Cecil.

Battle of Vimy Ridge — Canadian machine gunners set up in shell holes on the battlefield while facing German counterattacks. Pte Cecil Minary’s Great War portrait he had done and sent back home in Manitoba.